And Then They Fell
by Rae rae 1357
Summary: When the Battle of New York destroyed blocks of the city, Ava Romanov's life came crashing down. Now she has to begin again in D.C. where the organization that she grew up in is slowly crumbling beneath the feet of the people she loves. The life she dreamed of is dead, who is she going to be when everything falls apart? Set before and during CA:TWS
1. Chapter 1

"Harder. Harder, Ava. Come on, they're gonna hand you your butt in training if you hit like that in front of your SO." Ryan said, or as he called it 'encouraged'. Ava continued to throw what she thought were pretty good punches at the bag. "No," She hit it again. "no." Again. "NO. You're doing it all wrong." He stopped her completely and the girl glared. "Then why don't you show me how to do it again instead of just saying that I'm doing it wrong." The young man nodded, showing her how to hit the bag 'correctly', although Ava swore that was how she had been doing it the whole time. "Now you try..." She punched the bag and Ryan sighed. "What!?" the girl asked annoyed, instead of punching it again she took the moment to brush a few strands of hair off her face. "It wasn't that bad, honestly, it was better, but not good enough." "I'll get better, I have four months." "Yeah, but will it be enough time?" Her friend asked, genuinely concerned it seemed. "It will be, I'll keep practicing, every day." "Good, cause you need it." At the last comment Ava rolled her eyes, "Okay, you're right. But we both know that hand to hand is not my specialty. And it's not likely that I'll ever even need this knowledge, Ry. I'm going to be a field medic, not a specialist or anything. Besides I'm good with a side arm, what else do I need?" The young man scoffed. "Everyone needs to have hand to hand combat as a specialty, I don't care who you are or what you can do and you know that the big guy would say the same thing." Ava groaned, but nodded in defeat. She really hated when he was right. "Good girl, now go and unwrap your hands, jump rope is next. And don't you dare say that you have good stamina, because technically you're just above average." The girl did as she was told. "But, if I'm above average, why the heck are you pushing me so hard? I have four more months and right now I could pass the field test with a pretty good score. I'm not even done with the online portion. You need to lighten up. Besides, you'll have the rest of your life to yell at people and tell them to work harder." She waited expectantly for an answer only to see a smirk on her best friends face. "Why wait when I can just yell at you?" "Because I'm special thats why." Ava stomped her foot and pretended to pout. "And what makes you think you're so special? Oh, and I haven't forgotten about the rope." "I'm special... because everyone is special in their own way." "So you aren't special then." "No. But I'm gifted. Technically, I was once called a super human. And I'm on the index." She said the last part sarcastically. Ava wasn't supposed to be on the index of gifted people that SHEILD had put together, it had been a paperwork mishap and they had made her info available to level 9 security only. Ryan laughed and they both recalled just how mad everyone had been. "You shouldn't rely on your gift, you need more skills than that." "Thats what my weapons training is for." "We both know you were taught better than that." The girl just shrugged. "You're right..." Ava hesitated and then sighed, now seemed as good a time as any to bring up the elephant in the room. Ryan had been here too long, he hadn't been called on another mission yet. No agent was given this much leave time, unless something pretty serious had happened on their last mission. "So are you going to tell me why you haven't gone back into the field yet? Because two weeks ago you showed up and told everyone you were on leave and that's all we got. Jim said I should wait until you were ready to talk about whatever happened in Egypt, but I think now's a good time to talk." "So your'e just going to ignore Jim's advice? What happened to listening to him cause he's 'in charge'?" Ryan grabbed his water bottle and chugged it. "I'm impatient and... and I'm really worried about you." The young man sighed. "I was emotionally compromised during a mission, so they gave me leave to get it all under control... I have another four days before I head to New York to be evaluated."

When Ryan had been recruited into SHEILD over a year ago, leaving Ava behind to follow him into the agency a year and a half later he had left her broken hearted. Even though they had kept contact when it was safe for them to do so, something had been missing... her best friend. And now he was back and different. The morning after he had shown up he had started training Ava, pushing her to some of her limits and beyond them. At first she had been polite and not asked about the field at all, but after a particularly hard workout she had asked he what had happened. Ryan hadn't told her much, just that specialists go through particularly though exams before being let into the field and that he had seen some things since he had gone out, Egypt had been the last place he was stationed. When Ava pressed him for more information he had told her that the workout was done and that he needed to make a call. Now that she had a bit more to go on she decided that she needed to get the story from another source... and she knew the person to go to.

"Ready to go?" Ryan asked as she stepped out of the ladies room of the gym. No one had been there when they finished the workout, but now there was a group of men who were obviously stopping by after work. "Yeah, what time is it?" "5:45, why?" Ava frowned, "We're late for dinner. Jim isn't going to be happy with us." Ryan laughed, "Is he still anal about time? Now that is one thing that I don't miss about being home, the schedule is actually much more lenient at most bases." Ava just shrugged, smiling. "Poor man has to have some stability in the house, he lives with a bunch of teenagers. I don't blame him." "Your'e just saying that because your'e just as OCD as he is." "This pot is not going to judge the kettle... but seriously we should hurry." The gym was only a mile from the house and Ava was happy that they had driven, it would be quick. "How much trouble do you think we'll be in?"

The car turned onto the street where their house sat and slowed, "Are we expecting company?" Ryan asked, frowning at the four black SUVs that were parked in front of the large white house that they had both spent the last eight years calling home. "No... back up." He didn't question her, just put the car in reverse and kept driving. They drove half a mile down the road, "Turn here." Ava said as they pulled onto a small dirt road. She told him to stop and they sat for a moment. "So, you wanna take a little trip through the woods?" Ryan nodded and gave the girl a small smile. They got out of the car and started the trek towards home. "I have one question..." the young man said and the girl made a 'hmm?' noise. "How do you know how to get home this way? This isn't an exit plan and there's no path." "You remember who my guardian is, right? She didn't raise no fool." "Technically Agent Romanov didn't ra..." He was stopped by his friend's raised hand. "They've set up a perimeter... alright, plan B." Ava whispered and she gave him a knowing look. "What's plan B... oh, right, I'm an idiot. How are we going to do this?" He held out his arms and the girl bit her lip. "I can't carry you for long... three hundred yards is my limit and I cant get up much higher than a few stories with the extra weight. How much do you weigh?" "That's a rude question." Ava glared and he sighed. "Like 195ish." "Okay, we're going to have to get closer. Then you're gonna have to climb a tree or jump or something." Ryan nodded, not questioning her, this was Ava's territory and she knew what she was doing. He had no right to question anything she had said. He couldn't help but think that she would be a great specialist, but that would mean following Romanov's footsteps and it didn't matter how much Ava adored her guardian, he knew she never wanted that life. If only he could change her mind.

Once they were to the tree line Ava gestured and Ryan started to climb. He got about twenty feet up and almost jumped when he looked up and saw his friend sitting casually on a thick branch above him. Ava just rolled her eyes and nodded, waiting for him to join her. Once they were sitting together he raised an eyebrow, not wanting to risk being heard. The girl raised her arms over her head and he did the same, understanding. Ryan just hoped that Ava wouldn't drop him.

Once Ryan's feet hit the roof Ava let go, landing next to him, out of breath. "You weigh more that 195." Was all she said as he waited for her to catch her breath. "Alright," the girl said, standing once her breathing had evened out. "do you think you could swing through the attic window without any help?" Ryan nodded and the girl stepped off the roof only to step back on a moment later. "Window's locked. They know about me, maybe they're SHELID?" "Why wouldn't anyone tell us they were here?" Ava shrugged, "I can check to see if my windows open." The young man nodded and Ava took off again. A few minuets later and Ryan was starting to get worried about his friend when he heard a lock unlatch and a window slide open. He held onto the edge of the roof and peeked down to find his best friend smiling up at him. She waved him in and he swung in as quietly as possible. "There are two out front and six or so in the living room. It doesn't look like there's been any kind of struggle." She whispered and he nodded. "I say we go join the party." Ryan opened the hatch that led out of the attic and Ava grinned before dropping down without a sound.

The two friends stood at the top of the stairs and waited, listening. Ryan leaned forward and frowned, gesturing that he would go down first and check everything out. He had had training for this kind of thing, if he wanted to go first, fine. Ava watched as he turned the corner at the bottom of the stairs and disappeared. She waited for some sign, freezing as a man's voice called, "Miss Romanov, would you please join us? We have much to discuss and have been waiting." Ava scrambled down the stairs, frowning when she turned to see Agent Jones standing in her living room with her housemates and house guardian, Jim, and four agents against the wall. She knew Jones, vaguely, had met him a few times when dealing with some legal stuff for 'gifted individuals'. "Thank you for joining us, please to take a seat. I have something important to tell you." Ava didn't trust him, but maybe she was just paranoid. Like she had said before, Natasha Romanov didn't raise a fool. Sitting was submitting to authority and would make it a lot harder to make a quick escape "I'd rather stand... thank you." Ava attempted to be polite. The Agent sighed, looking around the room before speaking. "I'm afraid that your current location has been compromised and we have been sent here to move you to separate locations for your own safety." The housemates looked at each other in shock. "Most of the information is classified, the locations of your other housemates are also going to be classified for the time being. We don't know if once everything is settled you will be completely out of danger. Now, if you don't mind please go ahead and pack. We want to leave in fifteen minuets." The housemates got up and moved towards the stairs. They knew what compromised meant, a quick exit was necessary for survival with the lives they led. The agent cleared his throat, as Ava went to join the rest of the group heading up the stairs. "Miss Romanov would you please stay for a moment?" Ava looked towards Jim, who nodded and sat back down. "What's going on, Agent Jones?" The girl asked, frowning she had no idea what the heck was going on. The agent looked towards Jim, attempting to get some help but the man just nodded. "While the location of this house has been compromised there is more, there was a direct threat... to your safety." Ava's eyes went big, "M- me? Who threatened me? W- why would someone threaten me? " "I wasn't there when the threat was made, Miss Romanov. Director Fury can explain more, or even Agent Romanov can explain. But you need to go and pack, we are leaving in five."


	2. Chapter 2

Ava sat down in the cushy private jet, looking around at her plush surroundings. "This is really nice. Who's jet is this?" "Director Fury's." Jones answered, sitting down and grinning. "Fury sent HIS jet to pick me up? What the heck happened? Who threatened me? Russians?" The older man shook his head. "The mob?" Another shake of the head. "Aliens?" She joked. The man gave her a look and Ava sat up straighter, "Aliens? Aliens threatened me? Why did aliens threaten me?" "He was trying to get into Agents Romanov's head. He wanted her to be distracted, worrying about you." His mouth was in a thin line as he studied the girl's face. "He, you said he. Who's he? Why was he trying to get into Nat's head?" "His name is Loki and he is the brother of Thor. He had control of a large army of something called the Chaturi... Or something like that. This'll help explain." Jones pointed a remote at a small flatscreen and up popped the latest news. A pretty reporter stood in what looked like a war zone, her appearance disheveled.

 **"I am standing at ground zero of the battle of New York. The past two hours have been filled with destruction and devastation at the hands of an alien invasion. Stark tower is in ruins as is six blocks of Manhattan."**

Video footage of ugly looking skeletal creatures shooting and burning looped and Ava sat speechless.

 **"In the end it was the heroism of six individuals, super heroes, that stopped the infestation. Captain America took the lead, defending our great city and stopping world invasion."**

There was more video footage and the girl gaped when she saw Natasha taking on the aliens and fighting with Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk and Thor. Ava saw a clip of Clint and signed in relief. "Thank God, Clint was there." Agent Jones cleared his throat and angled himself so he was facing the girl. "There is something you should probably know, Miss Romanov... I told you that your location and you yourself had been compromised, but that's not all. Agent Barton was also compromised during the course of this... ordeal. We suspect that he was the one who told Loki about you and your location. Loki held him and a scientist named Eric Selvig under mind control. He was freed hours before the beginning of the invasion." Ava glanced back at the screen as a video showed a man dressed in green and gold glared at the camera with a smirk on his face. The girl shivered, "Can I speak to Natasha? Is she alright?" "Yes, she's fine. I'll have to talk to the director about that, but I don't see why not. Give me a moment."

Tony looked around the restaurant and grinned, the world outside was a wreck and they were in here eating. It was a funny situation and looking at the group he was eating with made it even more so. They were a ragtag bunch if he had ever seen one, Bruce had become himself again and borrowed some clothes, Cap and Thor was scarfing down their meals and the two assassins looked exhausted. They looked how he felt. Suddenly his cell phone rang and they all jumped as he glanced at the caller ID, frowning. The number was one he didn't recognize, maybe it was Fury. The one-eyed man had called earlier to ask about clean up and Tony had told him to shove off, but much less nicely. The dark haired man huffed, rolling his eyes and answering. "Fury, I told you before that we'd work out clean up later. Can't a man eat a much deserved dinner without you bothering him?" There was hesitation on the other line and then a young woman spoke. "I'm sorry. I- I'm not Director Fury... I'm actually looking for Natasha Romanov, is she there?" Tony was intrigued. "Yes, she's here. Whom may I ask is calling?" The red head perked up, suddenly listening in on the conversation, as was everyone else. "Ava. I thought that this was her new burner phone, I'm sorry I interrupted dinner." "No, no you're fine, Ava. Can I get a last name, for Agent Romanov of course." Romanov was standing next to him now, holding out her hand expectantly. "Um... she'll know who it is." "Well," Tony dodged the woman's attempt to grab the phone and stood, backing up. "Can I ask what the call is about?" "I just wanna know that she's okay." "Oh, she's fine, Ava. I might not be in a moment, though, so here she is." With that Tony threw the phone at the advancing assassin, who caught it and immediately put it to her ear. She spoke a greeting in Russian as she made a bee-line for the door.

"Ava?" "Natasha! Are you okay?" "I've been worse, how'd you get this number?" "I tried your burner phone and then Agent Jones gave me this one. Are you sure you're okay? I've been watching footage of this... Invasion and it looks bad." "I'm fine... where are you?" "On a plane, we're headed toward D.C." "Good. I can meet you in a few days."

Clint knew the moment that Tony said Ava's name there were going to be questions. Lots and lots of questions. He also knew that he was going to have to be the one to answer them. When Nat made for the door all eyes were suddenly on him. "Okay, Legolas, spill the beans." Tony leaned on the table, ready to hear a good story. "Tony, it might not be his place to tell us anything." Steve chided, but Clint knew he wanted to know just as much as the dark haired man. "I've told the story before, so I guess I'm in on the copyright." He still hesitated and Tony inched closer, "Who's Ava? Romanovs kid?" "No... Ava's not Natasha's kid, not by blood at least. She's Ava's guardian, has been for... I guess it's been..." He thought, counting the years that had flown by in his head. "Thirteen years." He looked around, giving Tony a pointed look. "She's a good kid, well she isn't a kid anymore, she turned 19 two months ago. But from the day I met her she always could light up a room when she walked in." Tony cleared his throat. "Right, of course. Natasha found Ava 13 years ago in Russia. SHEILD got a tip that a group of scientists in Omsk were trying to replicate Erskines super soldier serum." Clint glanced at both Steve and Bruce, who were now very interested. "The thing is they were using children. When the team was sent out they were told to sedate the kids and get them out. But when they got to the lab there were only four kids there and the scientists that were left were making a break for it out the back door. One of those kids was this big blue eyed little girl. They had put her in this dog cage and left her there for who knows how long, it wasn't a pretty picture. The other three kids were boys and Fury believes that they were left because they were all deemed hopeless cases. The team, which Fury was head of, took the kids and attempted to acclimate them to real food, human contact and a normal life... but two of the boys didn't make it. Henry and Ava were the only ones who lived to see the end of the month." Clint looked through the storefront window and met Natasha's gaze. The red head nodded and he returned the gesture, at least he had permission to tell the story. "They took them to Moscow and Henry was adopted by a wealthy family. He's a completely normal young man now, but no matter how hard Fury tried, no one wanted Ava. She was cursed, or something, according to the locals. So Nat decided to take over guardianship, with Fury as co-guardian." "What do you mean, people thought the kid was cursed?" Bruce asked. "She... Ava has a gift. She can fly. If she was here she would correct me and say that she can alter her own gravity, but to me it's just flying. That's why she was in a cage, which was bolted to the floor. They came back to the states and Natasha took Ava to live with her. She's super smart, picked up English and Spanish like they were nothing. By the time she was eleven she was doing high school work. Graduated from the SHEILD academy when she was 16 then went on and got her nursing degree a couple months ago. Last time I talked to her she wants to get her doctorate." "When Romanov was talking to Loki he said something about a little bird. Said that he knew where its nest was. Fury hopped on the phone pretty quickly. I just thought that the bird was some kind of asset." Steve said frowning, and Clint nodded. "I told him about her, because, honestly she is an asset. She's smart as a whip and has a... certain skill, of course. But she just wants to be a field medic, help, not hurt and all that jazz." "So the girl's been moved?" Steve asked. "Oh, yeah, I bet she's on a plane right now. I wouldn't be surprised if Nat disappears in a few days. Ava's seen the news footage by now, she'll be worried and will want to see Natasha as soon as she can get to wherever she is." "So, this girl can **alter** her own gravity?" Bruce finally spoke up and Clint nodded. For a second it was quiet and Natasha took that moment to walk back in. She handed the phone to the archer with a small smile, "She wants to talk to you." They switched places and Clint was out the door.

Clint knew what was coming, but when he spoke he knew exactly what he had to say. "Clint?" "Hey A, how are you holding up?" "I didn't just fight off the alien army, I should be asking you that question." The man sighed, shaking his head. "I've been better, but I'll get through it, I think Tony's gonna put us up in a real cushy hotel." "That'll be good, but nothing will beat going home will it?" Her voice was smaller than normal and he had the sneaking suspicion that she already knew. Knew that he had been the one to tell Loki about her. "No, no it wont. Look, Ava, I know what you're probably thinking. And I'm sorry, so sorry that you had to be moved. I had no choice, you have to believe that." "I know, Clint. I know. You were compromised, I know what that means, I've been told stories. I've studied the effects and I understand. I cant forgive you because there's nothing to forgive. That is, there wont be if you head home as soon as possible. Give my love to Laura and the kiddos."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello all! There won't be many authors notes (because I don't normally read them anyway) but I just wanted to say thanks for reading. I am so excited for this story and am already considering a sequel. Anywhooo, please review as well so that I can get some feedback on how and what y'all like and don't like. Also thank you to the two people that followed this story.**

The red head sat and looked around the table, "So where were we?" "Altering gravity, I do believe. Has she been tested? The readings must be off the charts." Natasha sighed, she should have known that Tony and maybe even Bruce would want to know more about that. "You're right. The readings are like nothing anyone had ever seen. Ava could tell you more about that, I didn't pay much attention as she got older." "What kind of symptoms does she have? She was a victim of Erskine's experiments, correct?" Bruce asked and Natasha made a mental note to set up a meeting between Ava and the scientist. The girl would be thrilled to meet Bruce and it seemed that the same could be said about the man. "Symptoms? Stunted growth, she's only 5 feet tall and weighs around 75 pounds. Her bones are hollow, like a birds. They weren't very strong till she was about 14 or so, broken bones have always been a problem. She takes medicine to help keep them strong. Sometimes, when she gets upset or excited she tends to float, or float other items so the first few teen years were... difficult to say the least." There were chuckles around the table. "Excitement's the real problem... when she was 12-14 excitement would make her hover. Her hormones were going crazy and she couldn't always control what she was doing. But when she grew out of that things go a whole lot easier." "What about now?" Bruce asked. "She's pretty normal, except for the whole flying thing. She's training to be a SHEILD field medic." "And Fury's okay with having such an asset doing medical work?" Tony interrupted. "Not exactly... no. He wants her on a specialized team, doing who knows what. But when she was 11 she went and talked to him about it, scheduled an appointment, dressed as professionally as an 11 year old can and walked into his office and closed the door. 30 minuets later she came out and gave me a paper that was signed that said her co-guardian agreed to enroll her in the beginning stages of SHIELDS medical program when the fall came. He's never brought it up since." Natasha shrugged. "Okay, one more question... when does Ava get to meet her Uncle Tony?"

The view outside the conference room window was spectacular and Ava had been watching DC for almost an hour now. When she had landed they had a car waiting to take her to SHEILD headquarters. Agent Jones had escorted her to this room and left her there. When the door opened she turned slowly and grinned at the man who stood there with his arms crossed in the doorway. "Nick!" Ava smiled and quickly crossed the room and found herself in the arms of one of her favorite people in the entire world. "Hey, kid. How are you holding up?" "Fine, I've talked to Nat and Clint. I figured you were okay... they would have told me otherwise..." The man hadn't let her go yet, but now he gave her a gentle squeeze and released her. "You look good, Ava. I'm glad Oregon treated you well." Fury gestured for them to sit and the girl took a moment to study her guardian. "I can't say the same for you, Nick. New York doesn't suit you. I think you should stick to D.C., where I can keep an eye on you." The man chuckled, shaking his head. "Natasha taught you well, kid. But you forgot who taught her most of what she knows." Ava inwardly cursed and gave him a sweet smile. "To answer your question... you will be staying here in D.C. for the final stages of your training. I already have a lab picked out for you and in two weeks you can start. I don't expect it will take Romanov very long to get here, you two can start moving into your new apartment as soon as she shows up. We're bumping up your training, five months in a small lab in the science and medical building and then three months of field missions, supervised before you're allowed to be called anything but a trainee. After that we'll discuss what kind of positions are open. There aren't any medical field team positions open in the foreseeable future but that might change, if not perhaps we can look at other field team positions." The man raised an eyebrow and Ava shook her head. "Nick, we have already had this discussion. I'm set in my ways and I know what I want." "And I'm much more set in my ways than you are, we both know that I can normally get what I want."

Two days later Ava was sitting in her hotel room, flipping through channels and frowning. Natasha needed to get here soon, the apartment was all lined up. She had things she needed to talk to the redhead about. Of course she hadn't called, that would have been rude and who knew would pick up the phone, it had been extremely awkward to call Tony Stark and Ava had vowed to never trust a number given to her by Nick again. Ava huffed and curled up in the soft white sheets, closing her eyes. Half an hour later there was a dip in the bed and the girl reached for the pistol that had been left for her between the head board and the mattress. Her eyes opened to see the gun pointed at a body and beyond that familiar green eyes and a casual smirk. "Ava, I already emptied the chamber." "Ugh!" The girl rolled over and huffed. "I haven't seen you in six months, Nat, and you are already sneaking up on me and emptying my guns." She sat up in bed and glared, before bursting into a fit of giggles. "You need to work on your conscious awareness." "You... you need... to learn how... to knock..." Ava had to take deep breaths to contain her laughter. When the girl stopped Natasha pulled her into a hug. "I've missed you, Без перевода (little bird). Six months is too long, I worried about you constantly." "I was safe, you and Nick made sure I was. Besides, who in their right minds would mess with me?" Natasha laughed.

Clint was correct in his assumption that Natasha would disappear in a few days, it only took two. But no one seemed to mind. Tony kept making a comment about how "the kid's" guardians were the director of SHEILD and an assassin. He wanted Clint to film the first time she brought a boy home. He also wanted to talk to her, wanted to set up a lunch for his new niece. Bruce had expressed some interest in seeing her files and the day that Natasha left for wherever she was going, he found a thick envelope outside his door. He was slowly reading through it and made notes every morning at the breakfast table. Clint got three calls from Ava over the next week, she kept telling him to go home and tell his kids that their aunt would be down to see them soon. "I've already got their Christmas presents picked out, Clint. I better be invited to Christmas dinner." His reply was the same each time, "As long as you get me and Laura something you're welcome. And make sure you bring your dirt cake." One morning even Steve peeked over Bruce's shoulder, frowning at the file picture. "She looks so young." He shook his head but didn't make a move to leave. Bruce went to turn the page and hesitated, "Steve... They took pictures of the day they found her. They're pretty gruesome. I had to take a break after I first saw them." The blonde just nodded and gestured for him to turn the page. Steve only looked at the first page, seeing four small children, thin as rails and wearing what looked like track suits. The boys were only wearing pants and you could count most of their ribs. They were in a lab setting and he could see SHEILD agents in the corners, waiting for the picture to be taken so they could start helping them. The girl caught his attention immediately, she wasn't looking at the camera, but someone to the side of it. "She didn't take her eyes off of Natasha. The entire time she looked between her and Fury. The two most intimidating people and she latched on to them." Clint was there, looking at the pictures from across the table and smiled. "Kid must not have been afraid of much." Steve said, gaining a small bit of admiration for the girl. "Either that or the monsters from before were a lot bigger and scarier that they were." Bruce said, but the looks from both Steve and Clint had him looking down and apologizing. Clint sighed and sat down, "Ava's never been scared of anyone. You'd like her, Bruce. She wouldn't even flinch if you turned into the hulk right in front of her." The scientists lips turned up for a moment. "I'll try and not test that theory." "She isn't afraid of anything?" Steve asked, frowning. That could be bad for a kid like her. "She's not a fan of labs... Or needles. Nat's taught her to be cautious, not so trusting of everyone, but she's still not really afraid of much. Ava's pretty good at hiding it too, you'd never know it. Natasha has taught her really, really well."

Ava turned the keys of apartment 111 and opened the door, grinning at Natasha who stood to the side with one of the few boxes that she had had brought over from her old apartment. The young woman held open the door as the red head maneuvered in with the big box. Looking around Ava frowned. There was a nice looking couch in the living room, but nothing else. It was the same when she peeked into the two bedrooms, one had a small green bedside table and the other a bed frame. There was a kitchen table at Natasha's old place, so they didn't have to worry about that, or a fridge. But the apartment was still bare for the most part and Nat didn't have decorations, just the minimum. "We've got our work cut out for us." Natasha said after dropping off her box into the room with the bed frame. "I get the walk-in bathroom, you get the big closet." The red head added as she went down to get another box. "So... I'm guessing we're taking a trip to IKEA?" Ava shouted after her.


	4. Chapter 4

The SHEILD headquarters in DC loomed above the car as Natasha pulled up to the front. Ava had been here before, but this time was different. She wasn't visiting Nick Fury, she was headed to the labs to get her work up done. The night before she had had a dream, or maybe it could have been called a nightmare, about walking into bright white rooms and being put into a cage. Of course she was just being silly, the men and women who work for SHEILD are professionals and she doubted they even had cages in the labs. Why would they? "You have nothing to worry about." Natasha said quietly. "I know." Ava nodded, "Do you think I'm dressed appropriately? I mean, we just went to IKEA and now I'm going to get my blood drawn and asked a bajillion questions. And these are the people I'll be spending the next five months with! I should have curled my hair. Or put on lotion, my legs are ashy." The red head looked her over, from her loose dress and cardigan to her oxfords. "You look a little preppy for my taste, and bajillion isn't a word. You're an intelligent young woman and these people know that." The girl rolled her eyes and smiled. "Ava, you look fine! Now you better hurry if you want to keep your appointment." Ava got out of the car and smiled at Natasha as she walked away from the car the woman called out, "Remember to sit up straight! And Fury's having someone drive you home."

Ava walked up to the large front desk and smiled at the receptionist. "How can I help you, miss?" "I have an appointment. My name is Ava Romanov." The woman behind the desk looked at the computer and typed quickly. "Yes, Miss Romanov... you're headed to the left wing... lab 3E. You are right on time, but I am afraid your escort is not. I'll call someone to take you there." "Wait! I'm here." A young man jogged towards the desk, stopping to catch his breath. "Sorry for the tardiness, I was attempting to get some paper work done and was deep into an analysis when I remembered. Are you Ava Romanov?" The girl nodded. "Great, have you got her checked in?" The woman behind the desk nodded and gave Ava a smile and a "You're all set here." "Right, follow me." With that the man led her down a large hallway. "My name is Nak Datta. I'm a lab assistant and I'll be helping you fill out all of the lovely paper work." They arrived at an elevator and he pushed the button for floor eleven. "We can start that as soon as we get there." The girl just nodded at the young man and gave him a nervous smile. They stepped into the elevator and the doors closed. "Romanov... you wouldn't happen to be related to Agent Romanov... as in the Black Widow would you?" Ava smiled, she loved this question. Even though this young man didn't have the clearance to know that she was in fact given the last name because Natasha was her legal guardian, she loved to answer it. "No, I'm afraid not. I'm Russian and its a very common last name. Perhaps we are very distantly related, but it would be very very distant." "Oh, of course, of course! It's probably as common as Smith is here in the United States." Nak said as the elevator doors opened. "One thing I should warn you about before we get into the lab is that some of my coworkers are a bit eccentric. We aren't a normal lab, we've been given a different kind of clearance than most of the labs within SHEILD. And I'm guessing that you aren't a normal field medic trainee coming to get her work up and training?" Ava nodded slowly, "I guess you caught me." "It only makes sense. Most medics are trained in lab A or B for specialties. Lab 3E is known for being a bit different in many ways. Don't worry, in five months you'll be certified, but in more things than just your medic training. Of course that all depends on what the big guys want us to train you in." They had been maneuvering through hallways, taking a left, a right, then another left before stopping at a lab door. Nak smiled, "Welcome to Lab 3E, Miss Romanov."

In the time that it took Ava and Nak to make it to the young man's desk his words had been confirmed. First of all, the lab coats were different colors. There wasn't a white one in sight and the men and women had on coats that ranged from light blue to neon pink. As they passed people's lab stations they looked up and waved, some giving a quick 'hello' or smile, one man calling out to Nak and asking about some kind of paperwork. The young man made a snide remark under his breath about where 'Bill could put his paperwork' before smiling apologetically at Ava. Once they were seated in a corner cubicle he grabbed a clip board and a pen and leveled a serious look. "Before we start the paperwork I need you to promise to answer all of these questions honestly. There are no level restrictions because your answers are important to find where you are in training, as well as other aspects in your life." Ava swallowed, "You have clearance?" "For this part of my work. I'm guessing you are over my clearance level?" Ava nodded and the young man gave her a reassuring smile. "I promise you that everything I write down is for me and my supers eyes only." The girl nodded. "The first few questions are simple. Full name?" "Ava Elaine Romanov." Nak nodded, writing it down. "Pretty." "Thanks." "Next question... Age and birthdate?" Ten questions later (questions like 'Natural hair color?' 'Allergies?' and whatnot) they came to a more difficult one. "Family history?" "... Unknown." Nak looked up at that and frowned. "What I mean is, parents names, ages, employment, medical history, that kind of thing." "Yeah, I understood, but it's unknown. I was adopted." "Oh, okay. Sorry about that." Ava shook her head at his apology. "No need to be sorry, the day I was adopted was the best day of my life." "What about your adopted parents?" "Guardians, I have co guardians but he's stays busy, and don't call her my mom to her face, she refuses to let me call her that." Nak nodded and smiled, "Next question..."

Half an hour later they were almost done, her blood pressure had been taken, along with her pulse and height. Ava was silently dreading the whole weighing thing. She knew that she weighed way less than she should, even as small as she was. Her bones were hollow, she was engineered since birth (or so they suspected) to be able to fly. She hardly weighed anything and there were going to be questions. Lots and lots of questions. Just as Nak gestured to the scale that sat up against the wall, an older man came over and introduced himself. "Miss Romanov! It's wonderful to finally meet you, we haven't had a trainee in quite a while, when I got your paperwork I was thrilled." Ava smiled, unsure on how to reply. "Happy to be here, sir." "The names Dimitri. We go by first names here, I hope you don't mind." "I don't mind at all." "Good! Great! Nak I don't suppose I could steal Ava away from you for the rest of her day here. Im guessing they told you today would be a half day for you?" The girl shook her head. "Well, that's awkward. Tomorrow you'll start full time. We don't want to overwhelm you." Ava just nodded, again unsure. "Why don't we go into my office, we have some things to discuss." Dimitri gestured towards a small corner office. The walls were made of glass, like some kind of fish bowl, but there was door, so there was a sliver of privacy. Once inside and seated the older man turned serious. "I just wanted to let you know that I have been fully briefed. I know about your... gift and know that that may have played a part in your placement in this lab. Director Fury speaks very highly of you and I know that you will do great while you are here with us." "Thank you, sir. I was starting to wonder if the Director had taken compartmentalization too far in this case." The man laughed and shook his head. "I would have been over sooner but we had a mishap yesterday and I had to fill out the proper paper work and make sure everything is correctly catalogued. I hope it wasn't a problem." "No, not at all." Ava gave the man a smile. "Good! Good!" Dimitri looked nervously out at the cubicles and the girl turned to see some of the employees looking at them. "I don't close my door very often so, everyone's a bit curious." The nineteen year old nodded understandingly. "Not everyone here needs to know about your gift, but if you'd like to tell the people you'll be working with, I have no problem with that." "Of course, I would like to keep it classified, if that is at all possible. I'm aware that my medical supervisor should know, but perhaps that the rest of the lab can be on a more need to know basis?" Dimitri nodded his consent before standing and gesturing to the door. "Would you like a tour?"

Lab 3E took up most of the 11th floor, if not all of it. There were many different departments within the facility and Dimitri explained what each of them did and pointed out which ones she may find herself working in in the next five months. The medical lab would be her main place of work and training but apparently Fury wanted her to broaden her horizons and look at medical research as well as some avionics and special biological research. Biology was her minor and she had done very well within that field, Ava was just surprised that Fury remembered that and wanted her to work in that field as well. She wasn't going to complain though, at least he wasn't attempting to put her through the specialist training.


	5. Chapter 5

Ava looked at the pieces of the bookshelf she was attempting to put together and huffed. Here she was, nineteen years old, a nursing degree, fluent in five different languages and she couldn't put together a stupid bookshelf. Until this morning she had thought that she was a relatively intelligent person. She'd been at it for almost two hours and all she had to show for it was a lopsided half bookshelf and two sore fingers. Hammers were not her thing. Knives, a good pistol or even her own hands and she could hold her own, but not hammers. Ignoring the mess she had made she went into the small kitchen in the apartment and started to make something to drink. The British believe tea could solve any mess, maybe it could solve the one in the living room. As she stood waiting for the kettle to whistle she noticed a large paper file on the counter. Natasha must have left it this morning before leaving, she had left around 6:30 for a mission to Malta. Nat had told her that she'd be back in a week at most, so she had a ton of time to make the mess in the living room go away. Natasha hadn't told Ava about this mysterious file though, and she hoped that it wasn't important for the mission that her friend was currently on. There was no way to ask now, though, since Nat had gone dark for this one. She huffed, knowing that the temptation was too great not to snoop. At the top of the folder written in sloppy handwriting that was definitely Natasha's were the words 'For Steve'. Maybe Ava was supposed to drop this off when she went into work on Monday. She didn't know a Steve, but maybe she would be getting more info soon. "Thanks Nat. No info, no instructions." Ava said to no one in particular. Opening the file she frowned, Steve must be pretty important, or maybe just high up, because French mercenaries were kinda serious. Like level five at least. Technically, Ava had level four clearance, but this was a bit different. She had only made it to the second page of the file, seriously, the rap sheet on these men was extensive, when there was a knock on the door. She couldn't help but jump, company wasn't expected and she'd met most of the neighbors. Everyone in the complex seemed friendly, but not 'unexpectedly dropping by to say hello' friendly. Of course it could be anyone, so Ava opened a drawer in the kitchen and grabbed a small handgun that was stored there. One couldn't be too careful when it came to working for SHEILD.

Steve had gotten a text from Natasha at 10:00 that morning, one he had been expecting for the past week. He'd asked her about a file, something about a new organized crime group that had just gotten on SHEILD's radar. So far nothing had happened, but he wanted to stay in the loop and had asked Natasha for more information. The text had been simple "INFO YOU WANTED MY PLACE. COME GET." So here he was, getting. Knocking he waited patiently, hearing someone shuffling within the apartment. There was a small bump and a feminine voice said something in Russian that Steve roughly translated into 'crap'. The voice wasn't exactly Natasha's though, it was higher, softer even. Did he have the wrong address? Natasha had given him her new address a few weeks ago, she was getting a bigger apartment for young Ava to come and live with her. The door opened and a young woman peeked through the small crack, "Can I help you?" Steve blushed, maybe this was the wrong place. He opened his mouth to speak when the door closed. The man frowned, before stepping back as the door swung open. "Steve?!" "Yes, miss. Steve Rogers." He held out his hand and she took it, giving it a small shake. "I'm Ava Romanov, it's nice to meet you, Captain Rogers." "Oh, you're Ava. Of course!" "Yep! Natasha left something here for you. Come on in." The man nodded and the girl, Ava, moved to let him in the apartment. "Is Natasha here?" Steve asked taking a moment to survey the place, which was kind of a mess. There was a large furniture kit in the living room floor that seemed to be a work in progress. "No, she got called out for a mission last night. She won't be back for a few days. Sorry about the mess. I'm not good with furniture." Steve turned to the girl and gave her a smile, "Don't worry about it, I just moved too, although all of my furniture was put together when I got there." Ava laughed, "Yeah, we wanted to make the place our own. I personally voted for a fully furnished place." The young woman gestured towards the small kitchen off of the living room before turning and walking into it, casually placing the gun she had been holding on the counter. The action left him baffled, before he remembered exactly who had raised this young woman. Steve took a moment to observe the girl. She was small, petite in every since of the word, unassuming even. He would describe her as pretty, in the way that made him think she would have men lining up at her door during his time. Her hair was dark, a deep brown, if not black, Steve was leaning towards black. She had big blue eyes, clear as the sky and Steve couldn't help but think that they were the same color. But, her small stature is what bothered him the most, or perhaps he just didn't like feeling like a giant standing in front of her. She had moved towards him, reaching to hand him the file and it solidified how tiny she was. Maybe she reached 5 feet, but Steve seriously doubted it. "Here's the file. It looks pretty important." The man looked down at the seemingly innocent file and nodded. "It is. Did you read it?" The girl hesitated for a micro second and then sighed, "Why do I feel like your some kind of human lie detector? I read the first page and a half..." Before she could say more the kettle whistled and Ava gave him a small smile. "Would you like some tea, Captain? I was making some to help me tackle the bookshelf in the living room." "That would be nice, but please, call me Steve." "Do you like Chai? We also have some Earl Grey." Steve peeked into the kitchen and watched as she pulled out two bags of tea, "To be honest... I have no idea what either of those taste like. I'm not a big tea drinker." Ava turned around and smiled at him. "How do you like your coffee?" The man gave a sigh of relief, he didn't want to offend the young woman. "Black." "Black it is... do you like Starbucks? Cause we have those K cups." "Like the Keurig? Tony got me one of those as an apartment warming gift. Starbucks is fine with me." Steve moved into kitchen and leaned against the counter as the girl moved around, grabbing different things in order to make her tea while his coffee brewed in the machine. "Tony... as in Tony Stark?" "Yeah, he insisted on helping me pick things out. He and Natasha have been trying to get me acquainted to the 'modern world'." His coffee sputtered and she walked over and grabbed it, handing it to him. "Thank you." Came the blonde's polite reply. "You're welcome. How has it been? The whole readjusting thing, if you don't mind me asking." "I try and watch a movie or two a week. I've made it into the 60's in history... and I thought my era was dangerous." "Yeah... I know what you mean... Kennedy, The Beatles... moon walks. Good and bad years, one of my favorite movies was made then. Have you seen The Sound of Music yet?" Steve shook his head, "It's on my list." "Your list?" Steve looked bashful, grabbing his coffee and looking into. "I have this list... of things I need to listen to, watch, read or even look up." Ava took a sip of her tea and nodded. "Thats a smart way to look at it.. can I see it?" The man smiled and nodded, pulling the little pad of paper out of his back pocket and handing it to her. "Star Wars... Star Trek... Elvis, the Beatles, the Cold War. All good things to know about." She flipped the page and continued reading. "Red bull, who told you to drink Red Bull?" "A young man at work." "Who the heck drinks Red Bull at the office? That stuff is gross and extremely unhealthy, espresso is what you need. But not the stuff you get here, you have to go to Europe for the good stuff." Steve couldn't help but laugh, the face the young woman was making was one of disgust. "Good to know." "Please tell me you haven't tried weed either. I'm marking that out. Along with the Red Bull." She did so, frowning at the two words and muttering something in Russian. The blonde could see Natasha in this young woman, a softer, less guilty version of the red head. There had been no asking permission, instead she just did what she thought was best for him. Something Nat did, something that Steve was grateful for. "Now the farmer's market is a good idea. Its a great way to be a part of a community and get some healthier alternatives to produce from Walmart. Do you have a car?" Steve shook his head and Ava frowned. "I have a bike." "You'll need more room if you want to go... we could take Natasha's car." Steve looked shocked and the girl hesitated. "I mean... I could definitely use the produce and it's Saturday. If you don't have to go to work we can go together. That is... if you'd like to go."

The farmer's market was on the edge of DC and Steve insisted on driving, being careful as it was Natasha's car. It was crowded, since it was a beautiful day, but they found a parking spot within few minutes. "Perhaps we should stick together." The man looked down at Ava and watched as she took in the parking lot and first few stalls of the market. "It's up to you. This is a pretty public area." "Just to be sure." The girl just nodded and gave him a smile. "Is there anything you need?" Steve asked, scanning the stalls. "Just some fruits and veggies. I was planning on doing take out for dinner." "Really? Do you know any good places? I'm from New York so I'm picky about my pizza." "Yeah there's this mom and pop place just down the block from the apartment. I can't remember what it's called at the moment, but we'll pass right by in on the way back, I'll point it out." Steve nodded and they continued through the market. The two made an interesting pair, Ava moving confidently through the crowds and Steve sticking close by, not saying much but nodding encouragingly at her when she picked something up and asked him about it. He considered himself responsible for the girl, since she was all alone at the moment. That's probably why Natasha texted him this morning, knowing he didn't have to work. What the super soldier didn't know is that Ava was thinking the same thing, knowing that Natasha had left that folder so that she could look after the man while the red head was away.

"So was that up to par, Mr. New York?" The two were sitting on the couch in Ava and Natasha's apartment two pizza boxes sitting on the floor in front of them. A newly assembled book shelf sat in the corner and the credits for The Sound of Music played in the background. "It's not New York, but it's pretty close. And I'm not a fan of musicals, but that one is good. I like the woman in it, and the fact that the family stood against the Nazi regime." Ava laughed, "How'd I know that you'd like that?" Steve just shook his head and stood, picking up the pizza boxes and moving to throw them away. "Is there anything else that needs to be assembled before I leave? Your bed is intact, right?" "Of course, Natasha put that together as soon as we got home from IKEA. I have no idea why I even tried to put that stupid bookshelf together on my own. I've never put anything together before in my life." Ava stood and stretched, jumping at the sound of her phone ringing. The number on the screen was foreign to the girl and she smiled, "It's Nat. I'll tell her that you picked up the file." Steve just nodded and she picked up,

"Hello?"

 **"** **Hey, Ava."** The voice on the line was much too masculine to be Natasha.

"Ryan? How'd you get this number? I just got this phone two days ago."

 **"** **Geez, don't sound so excited to hear from me."**

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. It's just this number is new, no one is supposed to have it yet. For security reasons. I am happy to hear from you, just surprised is all."

 **"** **I have some friends who are higher up, I just wanted to make sure that you were okay. We all left in such a hurry I didn't really get to say goodbye."**

"I know, but it was just protocol. Besides I'll see you soon, once I can give you my location I'm sure you'll be coming by this way. We'll get lunch with Nat and we can all catch up. How are you doing? Have you been evaluated and reassigned yet?" Ava heard a deep breath on the other end of the line and frowned. Steve had been cleaning up in the kitchen but had gotten a bit curious and now stuck his head into the living room to see the frown on his new friend's face. He waved to get her attention and mouthed 'Is everything okay?' Ava nodded and gave him a quick smile as Ryan began speaking again.

 **"** **Yeah, I'm in New York right now. They've assigned me to clean up here for now, then I think I'll be transferred to the Triskelion."**

"D.C., really? Thats such a big base."

 **"** **Ava… I know that you're there as well. You don't have to pretend, not with me." There was a smile in her friends voice. But something didn't sit right with Ava, for some reason he didn't sound like her best friend.**

"I know, but my location isn't available to anyone. No one is supposed to know that yet. Not until we're sure that it's safe."

 **"** **Like I said, I've got connections, besides no one else knows." There was a male voice that said something in the background and Ryan gave a quick muffled reply before speaking to Ava. "Hey, I thought that I'd have more time to talk but I have to go. I just wanted to make sure that you were safe and to tell you that I miss you. I'll see you sooner than you think. Bye, Ava."**

"Okay, Ryan, I miss you too. I'm glad that you called, I really am. Stay safe, I'll see you soon." The girl hung up and Steve walked in and smiled. "I know you were listening." Ava gave the man a mock stern look. "You can't prove anything, Miss Romanov. Is everything okay?" "Yeah, of course. That was Ryan, my best friend. He knows where I am and wanted to make sure that I was okay. The thing is Natasha told me that no one was supposed to know I was here. And he sounded weird. Cocky, almost. He didn't give me any details, but he's hiding something."

Steve had intended to leave after cleaning up, but after the strange phone call that Ava received and the mixed emotional response he decided to stay. The girl didn't give any other explanation, just asked him if he had see a movie called The Breakfast Club. "Well, its one of Natasha's favorites. It's not one of mine, but it's gotten popular again over the years and its on Netflix." The super soldier looked at the clock and realized it was only 9:00 and he wasn't working tomorrow that he knew of. Maybe she'd want to talk about it while they watched the movie. "Sounds good. Do you have any popcorn?"

They had made it halfway through the movie and Ava kept looking at her cell phone. "Tell me about this best friend of yours. You think he has changed?" In reply she scooted her body so she was completely facing him, and he took that as a good sign. "Ryan is my best friend in the entire world. When I was 12 Fury decided that I needed to be protected, so I was moved to Alabama where there was a safe house for young gifted children. I was still young and while I spoke English and Spanish fluently I was used to hearing Russian and suddenly I was surrounded by Americans who I believed spoke a different dialect of English. I could barely understand anyone and then Ryan showed up. Here came this confident kid who made friends in a heartbeat and had the same type of accent as the natives. When we first met he took one look at me and decided that he was in charge of my well being. I wasn't always eating or taking my meds, that didn't last long with him there." Steve smiled. "Because of him I became the person that I am today. Somewhere in that first year he became a friend and not a protector. We told each other things that no one else knew. He knows things that not even Natasha knows. He was there for moments when Natasha was not able to be, like the first time I tried shrimp grits or my first dance. Nat was there for birthdays and Christmases, but Ryan was there during my moments of self doubt and the moments of crazy confidence. I have quite a few of those." "And you think he's changed?" Steve prompted. "I think SHEILD changed him. I understand it, he's seen horrible things on the job, but there's something else. Something is different… I just don't know what it is. I might just be paranoid." Steve shook his head, "Trust your instincts. Sometimes you just know that something is wrong with someone you care about. If it's important you don't want to look back and realize that you could have done something and you didn't." Ava nodded and looked back at the screen. "I've never been one for change."


End file.
